


enigma

by thestarsaretalking



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Crushes, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, High School, Homecoming Dance, Ice Cream Parlors, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Poetry, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22796800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestarsaretalking/pseuds/thestarsaretalking
Summary: Poe likes fixing droids and riding his motorcycle, and Finn likes writing poetry about ice cream and love. It takes them longer than it should for them to admit their feelings for each other.aka a finnpoe high school au topped with a healthy amount of pining
Relationships: BB-8 & Poe Dameron & Finn, Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Jessika Pava/Rey, Poe Dameron & Finn & Jessika Pava & Rey, Poe Dameron & Finn & Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

Poe Dameron should get into the habit of placing his tools on the table. His friend, Jessika Pava, constantly tells him not to tuck a screwdriver behind his ear or tie wires around his wrists for the sake of accessibility. Today, Jess isn’t with him in the robotics classroom because she is practicing for an upcoming science competition with the decathlon team so he sees no reason not to tuck a small screwdriver behind his ear while he adjusts BB-8’s antenna.

The halls are still occupied with wandering students who are waiting for the hour between the end of school and the start of the football game to pass. Poe always stays in the robotics classroom after school to tinker around and fix up BB-8, his droid, which is why he’s familiar with this odd time of the day. He winces, not because of the loud whoop of an overeager football player hyping themselves up, but because he notices that one of BB-8’s antennae is still bent despite his efforts to fix it. 

“Stay where you are, BB-8. I just need to find a spare antenna,” Poe commands distractedly as he searches through a bin of spare parts. He’s too busy digging through assorted spare parts to notice that BB-8 stealthily rolled off the table and out the door of the robotics classroom, whirring and beeping joyously with freedom. When Poe finds an antenna, he turns around and holds it up triumphantly, exclaiming, “Found it! Now all I have to do is-”

Poe stops abruptly in mid-sentence as his eyes land on the spot on the table where BB-8 is supposed to be. “Oh no.”

He sprints out into the school hallway with the antenna clutched tightly in his fist, bumping into a few students in his rush to find his droid. Poe apologizes quickly to the people, but he’s still met with dirty looks. There’s a distant, familiar beeping somewhere down the hall and Poe runs faster, almost out of breath. Just when he thinks he’s about to collapse, Poe sees BB-8 gleefully rolling in front of a person and rushes over to the droid.

“What did I say about staying put?” Poe asks, dropping down on one knee and placing a hand on BB-8’s head to keep him steady while he attaches the antenna to his head. BB-8 chirps protests of innocence and Poe shakes his head at his droid’s defensiveness. As his hands work away at the antenna, Poe glances up to see that the boy BB-8 bumped into is still standing in front of BB-8 with an affectionate grin on his face. Poe sheepishly apologizes, “Sorry about BB-8. He’s just very eager to explore the world and meet new people.”

“No worries. He’s adorable! I’m Finn by the way.” Finn holds out a hand. How is it possible that Poe has been at this school for two years and never met Finn? Was he blind enough to miss the beauty of those earnest, dark, chocolate-colored eyes and brilliant smile?

“Poe. And you’ve already met BB-8.” As Poe stands up and shakes Finn’s hand, BB-8 beeps ecstatically, more excited than Poe has ever seen him.

“Did you make the droid by yourself?” Finn asks in fascination and Poe has to remind himself not to stare. He can’t help but admire how beautiful Finn is. 

“Yes and no. Technically, BB-8 was built by somebody else but I found him in the corner of the robotics classroom in the failed projects pile. I decided to fix him up and program him so he could be a functioning droid. I’ve been working on him ever since I saw him on the second day of ninth grade.”

“Wow, I’m impressed. I never knew we had a robotics classroom,” Finn muses, laughing as BB-8 lightly bumps into the side of his leg. 

Upon hearing Finn’s comment, Poe gasps in shock, “You never knew? I have to take you there. It’s amazing!”

Without thinking, Poe takes Finn’s hand in his and guides him to the robotics classroom. BB-8 follows closely behind them, avoiding running into students’ legs by skillfully swerving from side to side. When Finn and Poe walk into the classroom, Poe hopes that Finn doesn’t notice that Poe holds onto his hand longer than he needs to before dropping it. 

“Welcome to the robotics classroom, also known as my home away from home.” Poe gestures grandly to the tables cluttered with old tools and shiny gadgets. He knows that compared to the science lab they have at their school, the robotics classroom isn’t as advanced, but it has more of a comforting aura. 

Finn’s gorgeous eyes widen with delightful shock as he surveys his surroundings. “Whoa! This place is amazing! I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”

Poe wraps both his arms around BB-8’s sphere and carries him to where he was on the table before he ran off. He breaks into a smile when he sees Finn pick up a small mechanical flower somebody left lying on a table. “It is! This place is like every mechanic’s dream.”

“So, you just take spare parts and add them to BB-8?” Finn picks up a wrench, frowning at it with a confused expression when he notices the pink paint on it. Somehow, Finn’s curiosity only made him a thousand times more adorable.

“No, not quite. Let me show you.” Poe squats down a bit so BB-8 is at eye-level. Finn sets down the wrench and mimics Poe’s movement. Poe carefully removes the outer layer of BB-8’s head to reveal the parts underneath. Without the protective covering on his head, BB-8 is still able to function normally and he beeps binary that sounds like mild annoyance coated with a hint of satisfaction that Poe is finally showing him off to somebody who isn’t part of the robotics class or his family. 

“See that little grey wedge with lines on it? That’s an Intellex Computer. It’s basically BB-8’s brain because it controls BB-8’s personality and his navigation abilities. Usually, if I need to alter anything, I check here first.”

Then, Poe points to the other side of BB-8’s head. “That round thing connected to the primary photo-receptor, or the small camera-like device, is the Primary IMU, which is an accelerometer for balance. It acts up every now and then so I usually check it as well.”

“Whoa, how did you learn all this? I feel like if I touch it, it’ll fall apart immediately.” The admiration in Finn’s voice makes Poe’s heart melt like wax between his ribs. Normally, Poe never reacts to anybody in this manner, much less a boy he just met ten minutes ago. There must be something special about Finn.

“My parents always loved machines so I grew up learning how to use tools and what each part of a machine does. Robotics is like that, but on a smaller scale,” Poe explains, surprised at how genuine he is with his statement. Now, he definitely suspects that Finn is doing something to him.

“There you are! I practically searched the entire school to find you.” Finn and Poe look up at the same time to see Rey standing near the entrance of the classroom. She doesn’t seem particularly upset about having to find Finn as she has a playful tone and a cheerful grin.

“Rey! Sorry, I lost track of time. Has the game started yet?” Finn asks, standing upright. “By the way, this is Poe. Poe, this is Rey.” 

“Lovely to meet you, Poe! I apologize for stealing Finn away from you, but he promised he would watch today’s football game with me. Would you like to join us? I wouldn’t mind and I know Finn sure wouldn’t,” Rey remarks teasingly and Finn flashes a look of mock annoyance toward her direction. 

As Poe places the shell back on BB-8 head, he replies, “I would love to, but I should really finish up my work on BB-8 and head home soon. Enjoy watching the game!” 

“By the way, you have a screwdriver behind your ear!” Finn calls before he follows Rey out of the classroom. Poe brings his hand up to his ear and realizes that Finn is right. He covers his face and groans in embarrassment. BB-8 gleefully beeps a string of binary that resembles laughter, which only makes Poe feel more embarrassed. He should have listened to Jess.

-

“So, why were you talking to that Poe guy again?” Rey innocently questions and Finn tries his best not to let his exasperation show on his face. He’s currently sitting on a stool with his legs crossed, posing for Rey’s painting, and he doesn’t think she would appreciate it if he changes his facial expression or posture just to make a point.

Fortunately, Finn manages to speak with minimal mouth movements. “I told you already, he just wanted to show me the robotics classroom after his droid accidentally ran into me.”

“I don’t believe you. You know, it’s okay to admit that you talked to him because he’s cute.” A knowing smile creeps onto Rey’s face as she speaks. 

Finn watches Rey rinse her paintbrush in the cup of water that’s muddied from the different paint colors and wipe her brush. Then, she dips the paintbrush into the grey acrylic paint and mixes it with some white before touching the brush to the canvas and making eye contact with Finn. She raises an eyebrow pointedly as if to remind him that he has to reply. 

“Fine, I talked to him because he’s cute. Happy now?” Finn allows himself to sigh because Rey has finally gotten to him. She manages to get him to cave every time so he doesn’t know why he’s surprised. He straightens his back to return to his previous posture, hoping he didn’t mess up Rey’s painting.

“Yes, even though I already knew,” Rey cheekily replies, tilting her head slightly as she continues to paint the canvas. “Homecoming is soon. You should ask him out.”

Resisting the urge to sarcastically snort at Rey’s suggestion, Finn replies, “Nah, I don’t think I will. He’s cute and all, but how can I be sure if I like him?”

“Finn, have you been writing love poems with deep metaphors contemplating what love means again? I thought you stopped writing those a while ago and started writing poetry about nature.” There’s no judgment, only curiosity, in Rey’s voice. Rey has been around Finn long enough to know that Finn has been wanting to expand the range of topics he writes poetry about for a long time. Yet every time Finn promises that he’s going to try writing poetry about something other than the emotion that simultaneously makes one want to burst into fireworks of excitement and liquify into a puddle of warm contentment, he somehow finds his way back to writing about romance. 

“I guess the hopeless romantic in me will never die,” Finn watches Rey mix the paint with some red and white before continuing to paint on the canvas. He knows Rey has to paint this portrait for a grade in art class, which is why she’s doing this so carefully, but he wishes that she could speed up just a little because he can feel his muscles stiffening from holding the pose for too long.

Rey briefly lifts her paintbrush off the canvas and wears a mockingly contemplative expression as she quips, “Or maybe it’s because you met a cute boy, fell in love, and started writing poems about him.” 

“Who’s writing poems about a cute boy now?” Poe walks up behind Rey, peering over her shoulder at her painting. His smirk reaches his eyes and Finn catches himself ogling at Poe’s arms that are casually folded across his chest. He can’t decide whether he wants to feel flustered by Poe’s appearance or humiliated by the fact that Poe almost walked in on hearing Finn’s conversation with Rey about writing love poems about Poe. He settles on feeling both. “By the way, Rey, your painting is amazing! I love how you paid attention to the folds and texture of Finn’s shirt.”

Rey beams as she wipes her paintbrush on a paper towel, “Thank you!”

“Poe! What are you doing here?” Finn hopes he doesn’t sound too eager to see Poe. Poe doesn’t seem to think so because instead of finding suspicion in his expression, Finn only finds delight.

“Zorii has to do the portrait project too so I’m going to be her muse,” Poe explains, striking a comical pose, which looks like an exaggeration of the poses supermodels flaunt for the cameras, that makes Finn and Rey burst into laughter. He reaches into the pocket of his leather jacket and produces a note, handing it to Rey. “Also, Jess wanted me to give this note to you.”

Rey receives the note from Poe and unfolds it, reading it and grinning at the same time. She folds the note and places it in the back pocket of her jeans while she jokes, “Thanks for the note. Also, you should definitely become a model and drop robotics.”

“Nah, I think I’ll stick to robotics,” Poe cheekily replies. Zorii calls Poe’s name from across the room and waves, calling him over. Poe flashes one last charming smile before saying, “I have to go be the next Mona Lisa for Zorii. See you guys around!”

Finn watches Poe greet Zorii by throwing one arm around her shoulders and he yearns for Poe to do the same to him. Would it be too much to ask to be able to feel the comfortable weight of Poe’s arm around his shoulder? Or maybe Poe’s arms around his torso, pulling him closer, until the air between their lips is merely a few molecules? 

“You are totally in love,” Rey laughs as she mixes the red and yellow paint on her palette. Finn sits up straighter and tries not to let his blush show. For the rest of the afternoon, it kills him to not smile at the sound of Poe’s comforting voice, as Poe chats with Zorii, drifting across the room. Maybe he is as enamored with Finn as Rey pointed out.

-

Finn is honestly surprised that he doesn’t see students from his school at the ice cream parlor more often. He and Rey study together at the parlor at least once a week and it’s the perfect place to study, especially during the weekday afternoons when there are barely any customers. Most of the time, the parlor is quiet enough for Finn to concentrate on studying, but it is also comfortable enough for Finn to talk with Rey. The owner of the shop gives them a discount and never minds their studying in the parlor. On top of that, the ice cream is delectable - probably the best ice cream in the entire town. 

Today, Finn and Rey are sitting at their usual table, studying for their upcoming history test, eating ice cream they bought. While Rey makes flashcards for important figures during the Revolutions of 1848, Finn writes poetry about the wonderful scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream he’s having. Another upside of studying at the ice cream parlor is that Finn gets inspired to write about something other than love because of ice cream. 

Rey finishes writing the last flashcard and closes her history textbook. As she arranges the flashcards into a neat stack, Rey watches Finn write with one hand while his other is holding a spoonful of mint-chocolate chip ice cream.

“It’s nice to see you finally write about something other than Poe or hopelessly in love with him you are,” Rey comments, causing Finn to make a face at her. She unsuccessfully tries to press down the smile forming on her lips as she finishes off her ice cream and continues, “No, I won’t stop bringing him up. I’m tired of seeing you desperately pine over Poe. I was serious about asking him to homecoming!” 

“But what if he’s already going with somebody else?” Finn exclaims exasperatedly. Just as he finishes talking, Finn hears the bells on the door cheerfully jingle as somebody enters the parlor. He wants to fight the universe for having the worst timing ever because the person who walked through the door is the same person Finn was talking about. 

Poe’s hair is a beautiful mess of curls and he has a motorcycle helmet tucked under his right arm. He’s wearing the light brown leather jacket that Finn has seen him wear in the robotics classroom (Finn may or may not have started taking a new route to get to his classes that allows him to walk by the robotics classroom while Poe is inside). Finn doesn’t even realize he’s staring until Rey taps him on the shoulder with a flashcard and gives him a look that says  _ See I told you so _ . 

Then, a girl enters and walks with Poe to choose an ice cream flavor together, and Finn’s hope deflates like a balloon pricked by a pin. “That’s probably who Poe’s going to homecoming with.” 

When Finn turns toward Rey, his back to Poe and the girl, he sees amusement in her expression. She eats another scoop of her vanilla ice cream topped with rainbow sprinkles before she replies, “I sure hope not. That’s Jessika Pava and she’s been flirting with me for the past few weeks in art class.”

“She’s Jess? The girl that asked Poe to give you the note?” Finn turns back toward Jess and Poe, who are receiving their ice cream from the employee. Jess glances over at Rey and Finn and her eyes light up. She taps on Poe’s shoulder as he hands over the money for the ice cream and Poe’s attention turns toward Finn. Finn quickly turns around to face Rey, who seems all too excited to see Jess and Poe. He eats another spoonful of ice cream as he hears Poe and Jess approach.

“Rey! What a coincidence that you’re here!” Jess says, sitting down on the empty seat next to Rey. Rey wraps a rubber band around the flashcards and places them into her backpack, giving Jess her full attention. Rey may constantly make fun of Finn for pining after Poe, but right now, she’s making the biggest heart eyes at Jess.

“That’s a lie. I lost a bet so I had to take Jess to wherever she wanted and she just happened to choose this ice cream parlor she knows you always come to,” Poe deadpans, sitting down next to Finn. He places his black and orange helmet down on the table and eats a spoonful of ice cream. Poe casually throws an arm around Finn’s shoulder, which nearly gives Finn a heart attack, and he notices the writing in Finn’s notebook. “What’s that?”

Finn looks down at the poem he wrote and blushes as he answers, “Oh, it’s just a poem I wrote when I was eating ice cream?”

“Care to share?” Poe nods toward the poem with a warm smile. Finn feels his heart rate skyrocket and he’s certain that he’s going to combust if Poe leans one inch closer.

“Why not?” Finn clears his throat, trying to stay calm about the fact that he’s about to read his poetry to somebody he admires. The only person he’s shared his poems with is Rey, so this is a pretty big deal for Finn. But he trusts Poe, probably way more than he should.

“i taste drops of sunlight

on the plastic spoon

coated with happy sprinkles

and ecstatic mint-chocolate chip

this is what finding comfort in familiar places feels like.” 

“Dang, that’s pretty good. I never took you for a poet,” Poe smiles his eyes sparkling with wonder. The blush on Finn’s cheek deepens since Finn doesn’t know how to take compliments, much less compliments from pretty boys.

“Thanks,” Finn replies, breaking the intense eye contact to check in on Rey and Jess, who are chatting away. Jess laughs at whatever Rey had said and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Rey seems equally infatuated as she’s watching Jess with an affectionate grin.

“Are you going to homecoming?” Poe asks with a neutral tone.

“Uh, yeah. I’m going with Rey. As a friend. We’re not, you know, a thing,” Finn clarifies quickly, which causes Poe to chuckle as he finishes his scoop of ice cream.

“Don’t worry, I can tell,” Poe places his empty cup on the table and watches as Jess tries a spoonful of Rey’s ice cream. “I’m going with Jess to make sure she doesn’t trip over her feet when she’s slow dancing with Rey.

“How do you know she’s going to be slow dancing with Rey? Rey has been playing hard to get,” Finn muses thoughtfully.

Poe grins, nodding at their friends, “I think we’re about to find out right now.” 

Sure enough, Jess clears her throat, her eyes never leaving Rey’s as she asks, “So, uh, do you want to go to homecoming with me? Like, um, as a date?”

“I’d love to,” Rey giggles, throwing her arms around Jess in an embrace. Finn can’t help but notice how adorable they are together. He looks over at Poe and they share a knowing smile. 

-

“Activities Council went all out this year,” Rey comments as she and Finn walk to the line at the entrance of the gym. Purple and pink streamers hang from the ceiling and the music is blasting loud enough to be heard from outside the gym. Finn doesn’t enjoy going to school dances because he found them too crowded and loud. However, Rey, who was the class president, is obligated to attend important school events and convinces Finn to go with her every time. 

As Rey hands the tickets over, the teacher who’s checking the tickets greets Finn and Rey warmly, “You two are such an adorable couple.”

“I, uh, we’re not dating,” Finn stutters, caught off guard. Rey nods in agreement and coughs into her hand to mask her laughter. The teacher’s face falls with shame and she gestures at the entrance. Rey and Finn burst into laughter once they got into the noisy gym.

“I can’t believe people still assume that if a girl and a guy are friends, they have to be dating,” Rey raises her voice so she can be heard about the din of students talking and music. She and Finn make their way through the crowd of students. 

Rey spots Jess and quickly navigates her way through the gym to get to her, Finn following close behind. She excitedly greets Jess with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Jess! You look so gorgeous! I love your dress!” Rey gushes, admiring Jess’ dress as Jess beams. Jess laughs and takes Rey’s hands in hers.

“Thank you! You look amazing too! You look great too, Finn. I can’t wait for Poe to see you in a suit. He’s going to lose his mind!” Jess grins mischievously and Finn wonders what Jess means. Rey gets what Jess is implying and giggles.

“Where’s Poe?” Finn stands a little taller, glancing around the gym to try to spot Poe. 

“I think he’s trying to park his motorcycle. The parking lot is super crowded. But he should be coming soon,” Jess replies, still holding Rey’s hands. The upbeat music transitions to a smoother quieter melody. The people who were dancing energetically to the music disperse and eager couples make their way to the dance floor. Jess tugs Rey toward the dancers, “C’mon, let’s go!” 

“Sorry, Finn. I’ll come back later!” Rey smiles apologetically before following Jess. Finn watches Rey and Jess dance in each other’s arms, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. He can’t help but sigh at how ridiculously in love they are. Although he’s happy for his friends, Finn can’t help but feel an ache in his heart as he wishes that he could have somebody who loves him as much as Rey and Jess love each other.

“Finn!” Finn hears somebody shout his name over the noise of the party and he turns toward the direction of the voice. He sees Poe squeezing his way through the crowd to get to Finn. Poe greets Finn with an enthusiastic hug. When Poe pulls away, his eyes shine with excitement as he says, “Sorry, I wanted to come in early with Jess but the parking situation with my motorcycle was a little-” 

Poe stops mid-sentence as he notices Finn’s suit. His mouth opens with surprise and Finn blushes at Poe’s admiration. “Finn, buddy! You look great! Wow, I’m blown away. I feel so underdressed now.” 

Finn holds back a giggle when Poe gestures to his outfit. Poe is wearing his signature leather jacket and a white dress shirt under it, an attempt to adhere to the formal dress code for the dance. “You don’t look too out of place. I like your outfit.

“Thanks,” Poe flashes a small smile before he watches couples sway to the slow music. 

“It’s pretty crowded in here,” Finn comments, looking over at Poe. He wants nothing more than to free all of the adjectives he could describe Poe’s beautiful eyes with, but there’s something valuable in silently admiring his beauty from afar.

“It is,” Poe agrees and his eyes meet Finn’s as a sly look appears. “Want to get out of here? I know a place that’s less crowded and way cooler than here.” 

“Sounds good to me. Let’s go,” Finn barely finishes his sentence before Poe takes his hand and leads Poe through the crowd of students. Rey spots Finn and Poe leaving and gives him an approving nod, letting him know that she’ll be okay with Jess. 

Poe and Finn make it out of the gym in one piece and Finn inhales the fresh air. The air inside the gym was too stuffy so Finn is relieved to have gotten outside.

“That’s my motorcycle over there,” Poe points to the black and orange motorcycle that’s leaning against the red fire hydrant. He lets go of Finn’s hand while they’re walking to the motorcycle, which disappoints Finn a little. As Poe hands Finn a helmet, Finn amusedly remarks, “I’m pretty sure that’s not a parking spot.” 

“Technically, no, but the parking lot was full. Modern problems require modern solutions,” Poe responds cheekily, throwing a leg over the front seat of the motorcycle as he turns on the engine. Finn puts on the helmet and sits behind Poe, wrapping his arms around Poe’s waist. “You ready?”   
  


“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Finn responds, tightening his arms around Poe as Poe starts driving. Truthfully, Finn has never been on a motorcycle before but he tries to seem calm even though he’s clinging onto Poe for dear life. The roar of the motorcycle drowns out the loud rhythm of Finn’s heart pounding in his chest. He can’t tell whether his heart is racing because of his fear of falling off the motorcycle or because of how closely he’s pressed to Poe. 

Poe is a surprisingly good driver. He navigates his way through the streets and between cars with ease. Poe drives up the winding roads of a mountain Finn has never been on before, and when they reach the top Finn sees a building that’s illuminated by lights. 

As Poe parks the motorcycle, Finn unwraps his arms to take off his helmet. “Where are we?”

“The Brahe Observatory. Brahe as in Tycho Brahe. It’s not actually his observatory; it’s just named after him,” Poe explains, kicking the side-stand of the motorcycle down. He takes his and Finn’s helmets and hangs them on the handlebars of the motorcycle. Finn knows he’s staring at Poe’s curls but his helmet hair makes him look more effortlessly stunning than ever.

“So, do you come here for the view or the stars?”    
  


“I love looking at the stars and the view here is great, but sometimes I also just come here because it’s quiet,” Poe shrugs. They walk into the open doors of the observatory and Finn is spell-bound by the interior. Inside the building, a map of stars is projected onto the ceiling of the dome, making Finn feel as though he’s floating among the stars. 

Poe tugs on Finn’s arm softly to draw him out of the temporary trance he was in. “C’mon. Let me show you something even better.”

Finn follows Poe up a spiral staircase to a door at the top of the observatory, and Poe pushes the door open to reveal a balcony. Finn follows Poe onto the balcony and gasps when he sees the view. 

From the balcony at the top of the observatory, Finn can see the whole city. He can see the glittering lights of houses and glowing headlights of cars that move like ants on the highway. Then, when Finn looks up, he can see the endless sprawl of stars that look like tiny silver diamonds. He has never known what it’s like to breathless until now.

“Not bad, huh?” Poe smirks, leaning against the railing of the balcony. Finn joins him, still in awe at the view.

“Not bad? It’s incredible. How come I’ve never been here before?” 

“Not a lot of people know about this place because it’s at the top of the mountain. But it’s a really nice place,” Poe dreamily answers. 

Suddenly, Poe’s eyes light up when an idea crosses his mind. He walks back to the door and flicks the switch next to the door on. A faint light turns on, shining onto the balcony, and Poe takes out his phone to play some slow music. 

He offers a hand to Finn and requests in an exaggerated, cordial voice, “May I have this dance, sir?”

“Yes, you may.” Finn places his hand in Poe’s and Poe places a hand on Finn’s hip. From his limited knowledge of slow-dancing, Finn knows he should place a hand on Poe’s shoulder to assume a proper slow-dancing position so he does just that, hoping he looks like he knows what he’s doing.

Soft, lilting music silently wraps around Finn and Poe as they sway slowly. Finn has never been felt more in love and loved than he does now in Poe’s arms. As they start moving a little more, Poe dips Finn out of the blue.

With his upper body held up above the ground only by Poe’s arms, Finn gets an up-close view of Poe’s lips. They’re so close to him that if he leans in, Finn would be kissing Poe. Instead of doing this, Finn decides to quip, “I never knew you know how to dip.”

“I’m a man of many surprises,” Poe smirks before lifting Finn upright again so they can continue swaying to the soothing melody. Painfully aware of Poe’s hands still tightly clasped in his, Finn attempts to keep his cool, even if his heart into a warm puddle of goo in his body.

“This is so much better than homecoming,” Poe chuckles as he leans a little closer to Finn. 

“Way better,” Finn agrees, hoping Poe doesn’t notice the way his breath catches when he meets Poe’s eyes. Poe Dameron truly has the most beautiful eyes in the entire galaxy. 

“I mean, we got the best venue. It has a great view, great lighting, and great music. On top of that, we can actually breathe out here. What more could we need?” Poe jokes, causing Finn to chuckle. 

“You’re right. It’s perfect.” Finn sighs contentedly and squeezes Poe’s hand tighter just the slightest bit. 

Finn doesn’t know whether he should close his eyes so he can focus on the sound of Poe’s breath or if he should open his eyes so he can fully take in all of Poe’s beauty. As they continue to sway to the music slowly, Finn unconsciously writes poetry about how he has the whole universe in his arms when he dances with Poe.

Overwhelmed by his emotions, Finn can’t help but want to lean forward and kiss Poe right then and there. He parts his lips and just as he’s about to make a move, the light abruptly cuts out, plunging Finn and Poe into darkness. Poe lets go of Finn’s hand to grab his phone to turn on the flashlight. 

“The light does that sometimes. This place is kind of old. Sorry,” Poe sheepishly apologizes, turning the flashlight on his phone on.

Sure, Finn is disappointed that his opportunity was ruined, but he still can’t help but smile at Poe’s adorable expression. “It’s all good, don’t worry. It’s getting late now. We should leave.”

Poe nods in agreement and they both leave the observatory. Finn’s fingers are itching to lace themselves between Poe’s fingers as Finn walks next to Poe to his motorcycle. However, Finn gets to wrap his arms around Poe’s waist again when Poe starts driving his motorcycle.

As they’re speeding down the empty roads of the town, Finn looks up at the sky admiring the magnificent, infinite expanse of stars. He swears that the stars are shining a little brighter tonight than they usually do. 


	2. Chapter 2

“So, what I’m hearing is that Poe took you to an amazing observatory on his motorcycle and slow-danced with you under the stars? How have you not told this boy that you love him already?” Rey sounds genuinely puzzled and Finn grimaces at the volume of her voice.

“Keep it down, will you? I don’t need the whole school knowing I, um, you know…” Finn surveys the cafeteria worriedly as if he’s certain that students are trying to eavesdrop on his conversation with Rey. Thankfully, everybody is too busy chatting amongst their respective group of friends to pay attention to Finn and Rey.

Rey raises her eyebrows, “You what?”

“You know,” Finn retorts, narrowing his eyes. He knows Rey fully understands what he’s talking about.

“No, I don’t know Finn. Care to elaborate?” Rey challenges as she sips orange juice from a juice box. 

Finn takes a deep breath and quickly forces out, “I don’t need the whole school knowing I have a crush on Poe.” 

Right at that moment, Jess walks over to Rey and Finn and smoothly slides next to Rey. She rests her arm around Rey’s shoulder as she greets, “The whole school already knows. Hi Rey.”

“Hey Jess,” Rey turns to press a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek. Jess beams and pulls Rey closer.

Meanwhile, Finn is trying not to freak out. He makes himself appear calm as he leans forward. “Jess, what do you mean the whole school knows?”

“Well, I don’t think the whole school knows but anybody can tell by the way you stare at him that you have the biggest crush on him,” Jess smirks. “By the way, he’s in the robotics room working on BB-8. You should go talk to him.” 

“Maybe,” Finn hesitantly answers. He would love to talk to Poe but he isn’t sure Poe wants him to be there. Oh, the thoughts love plants in one’s mind.

Jess rolls her eyes, acting fed up with Finn’s reluctant response. “That wasn’t a suggestion. Go talk to him, Romeo.”

“Okay, I will. Thanks, Jess,” Finn stands up and quickly heads to the robotics room, refusing to meet Jess’s eyes that were probably reflecting her feelings of triumph. He has to admit that he’s been dying to talk to Poe ever since Homecoming happened, but somehow, he never found the time to do so.

When Finn walks into the robotic classroom, he immediately spots Poe working on a new droid. The new droid looks like a green and white cone attached to a small white wheel, and Finn wonders why Poe has taken an interest in him. Standing next to Poe’s ankles, BB-8 beeps undecipherable binary. 

Apparently, Poe and BB-8 are conversing because once BB-8 concludes his confusing series of beeps, Poe responds, “I know I have to finish by Rey’s birthday. I’ll see if I can stay a little longer today to finish up the main repairs.”

BB-8 notices Finn and squeals, alerting Poe. Poe lifts his head to see his friend and drops his wrench when he sees Finn. “Finn! Buddy, what are you doing here?” 

Finn should be getting used to how Poe always greets him with a hug but his heart still knocks against the inside of his chest every time Poe throws his arms around him. 

“I stopped by to say hi. I thought you would be fixing BB-8.” Finn peers over Poe’s shoulder at the droid. Poe notices and picks up the droid in his arms as if he’s carrying a baby.

“This is D-O. Jess is going to kill me for telling you this but she wants me to repair this droid she found so she can give it to Rey on Rey’s birthday,” Poe explains and D-O down on the table carefully. Finn adores how Poe treats his droids with a great deal of respect. Only another reason to add to the growing list of why Poe is an ideal boyfriend.

As he puts his hands in the pockets of his jeans, Finn assures, “Rey is going to love the gift! She once asked me if I could ask you if you would be willing to let her borrow BB-8 for a day.” 

“Oh yeah, Rey and Jess stopped by a few days ago and Rey fell in love with BB-8.” Poe chuckles as BB-8 chirps gleefully. 

Just as Finn opens his mouth to reply with a witty remark, the bell rings. He’s disappointed that his time Poe has already come to an end. “Guess that’s my cue to leave. See you around!”

“Bye!” Poe waves at Finn as Finn leaves the classroom. BB-8 beeps smugly when he catches Poe grinning like an idiot once Finn has left and Poe shakes his head, both at how ridiculously smitten he is and how BB-8 is more correct about his emotions than he would like the droid to be.

Later, Poe returns to the robotics classroom to continue working on D-O. When Poe hums a tune to himself as he places his backpack down and powers BB-8 on, Poe’s eyes land on a piece of folded paper that is lying on the ground. He picks it up carefully and unfolds it. 

“i have wings, 

molded with affection

you are the sun    
my wax is melting and i’m descending

but i love your sunlight too much

to give it up, even as i’m falling

icarus did it because of foolish bravery

and i’m doing it because of young love”

Poe is stunned at how well-written the poem is. There isn’t a signature or name anywhere on the paper but he knows exactly who wrote it. 

-

This time it’s Poe who surprises Finn. The next day, during lunch, Finn is eating lunch with Rey as usual when Poe sneaks up behind Finn and places his hands on the unsuspecting boy’s shoulder, causing Finn to nearly drop his sandwich. Laughing at Finn’s reaction, Poe greets, “Hey buddy! How are you doing?”

“Poe? What are you doing here?” Finn feigns nonchalance as Poe sits down next to him. He can’t see Rey’s face because he’s looking at Poe, but he can envision her wide grin.

“I found this in the robotics classroom yesterday. I figured you dropped it.” Poe takes out a piece of paper that’s folded neatly in half. 

Once Finn unfolds the piece of paper, he gasps when he sees that Poe had picked up his poem. “This is my poem! I must’ve dropped it by accident. How did you know this is mine?”

The corners of Poe’s eyes crinkle as he smiles, “I remembered your poem at the ice cream shop and assumed this one is yours. 

“Thank you so much!” Finn tries not to blush as he puts his poem in his pocket and hugs Poe. He can’t believe that out of all the poems he dropped, he happened to drop one that he wrote about Poe. Actually, most of Finn’s poems nowadays are about Poe so maybe it wasn’t just chance deciding to mess with Finn.

“No problem.” Poe pulls away after a second, which leaves Finn with a dull yearning in his chest. There’s a glint in Poe’s eyes when he asks, “By any chance, would you be up to maybe share a couple of your poems after school today? I know the perfect location for your poems to be read. It’s only if you’re willing to, of course.”

“I- uh- yeah! Sure! I would love to,” Finn stammers, caught off guard by Poe’s request. Besides Rey, nobody had ever asked him to read his poetry; then again, Finn never mentioned that he wrote poetry. Still, Poe’s gesture, which truly warmed Finn’s heart, seems like a monumental milestone in their friendship.

“Great! Meet me in the parking lot after school ends. I’ll have everything planned out.” Poe pats Finn’s shoulder in a lively manner as he stands up. “See you then!”

Until Rey loudly sips from her juice box, Finn watches Poe walk to his friends on the other side of the cafeteria. As Rey sets down her juice box, she declares, “Finn, you do realize Poe just asked you on a date, right?”

“It wasn’t a date. We’re just… hanging out together,” Finn reasons, refusing to meet Rey’s eyes.

“Mhm. And I suppose I have to believe that homecoming night was also not a date,” Rey, who looks quite amused by Finn’s protests, raises a skeptical eyebrow.

Rolling his eyes, Finn retorts, “Yeah, it wasn’t a date. He just took me to this cool place to, you know, get some space from the crowded gym.”

“You two slow-danced! And he took you to an observatory! If that’s not romantic, I don’t know what is.” Rey appears to grow more and more unconvinced that Finn and Poe aren’t going on dates the more Finn tries to protest. Despite this, Finn is about to respond when the bell suddenly rings, ending lunch. As Rey stands up to throw her juice box away, she points an accusatory finger at Finn. “Don’t think I’ll forget about this conversation, mister.”

-

School seems to pass by so much slower because Finn can’t wait to see what Poe has in store for him. Sure, he’s a little nervous to read his poems to Poe but he trusts him enough to know that he won’t make fun of his poetry. Also, Finn wonders where Poe will be taking him. During homecoming, Poe took him to an incredible observatory so Finn is certain that wherever he plans on bringing him to will be wonderful. 

Rey notices Finn’s dreamy expression during European history and elbows him lightly to draw his attention back to class. She leans over and whispers to Finn, “I know you’re thinking about lover-boy, but you should listen to this lecture about Bismarck. The test is next week.” 

Finn stares at her blankly, “Who’s Bismarck? Also, don’t call Poe that.”

Rey ignores his second statement and writes the notes projected on the board. “And that’s why you need to stop thinking about that boy until you figure out who Bismarck is by paying attention.”

For the rest of the class, Finn tried his best to focus and figure out what exactly happened during 1871 in Germany but thoughts about Poe were still occupying the back of his mind. After one more torturous hour of class, the bell finally rang and Finn practically ran to the parking lot. When he arrived in the parking lot, Finn sees Poe standing next to a small teal car. The corners of Poe’s mouth lift when he spots Finn walking across the parking lot.

“Finn, are you ready to have the best evening of your life?” Poe tosses his keys up in the air and catches them with one hand. Something similar to vibrant sparks shines in his coffee-brown eyes.

“Yes, but remember: I have high expectations after you took me to that observatory,” Finn jokes as Poe opens the door of the passenger’s seat for him and closes the door once he gets in. Poe gets in the driver’s seat and turns the engine on, grinning excitedly.

“What happened to your motorcycle? Is this your parents’ car?” Finn waves at Jess, who’s walking across the parking lot just as Finn and Poe start leaving.

“I’m letting Jess borrow my motorcycle today so I could borrow her car,” Poe responds as he turns the steering wheel with one hand and runs his other hand through his hair. There’s something adorable about how Poe has an expression of intense concentration as he’s driving and Finn adds that to his mental list of cute things Poe does.

“Why do you need to borrow her car to take me to wherever we’re going?”

“You seem to have a lot of questions today,” Poe retorts with a light tone, briefly glancing over at Finn before continuing to keep his eyes on the road. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you the answer to that question. All I can tell you is that it’s the perfect place for you to read your poems. You’ll just have to wait and see where it is.” 

Finn pouts comically, causing Poe to laugh in response. As Poe turns onto the highway, he turns the radio on and soft jazz music flows from the speakers. Poe makes a face, “The fact that jazz music is the first thing playing from the radio and the fact that Rey and Jess were in this car yesterday afternoon makes me very concerned.” 

“Poe!” Finn exclaims, bursting into laughter at his comment. Poe joins in, chuckling as he takes an exit and leaves the highway. Then, Poe turns onto a road that seems rather familiar. Finn frowns as he looks out the window, trying to recall why the view looks so familiar. “Is this the same road we took to get to the observatory?”   
  


“Yep! It looks so much more different when it’s not dark, huh?” Poe remarks. Finn hums in agreement and he glances out the window. The dazzling lights of the city and cars are gone; instead, the buildings are casting shadows across each other as the sun shines brightly on them. The cars still look like ants and more cars are crowding the highway now than at night. 

As the car turns around the mountain to the other side, the scenery changes from the city to the ocean. Finn gasps when he sees the sparkling blue ocean in all its glory. If the view from the observatory was breathtaking, then this view held his lungs, heart, and soul in its hands. 

Poe parks the car in a small lot near the edge of the mountain. When Finn gets out of the car, he’s met with a brief, cool breeze that whispers kindly in his ear. He can see rocks, presumably from the cliffside, clumped in random piles on the sand. If Finn squints, he can see washed-up pieces of wood and debris among the jagged rocks. The waves crash against the shore and curls back into itself bashfully. The ocean looks like there’s a layer of glitter on it because the sunlight causes specks of silver to dance on the intimidating blue. It’s perfect. 

“Can we go down there?” Finn’s voice is filled with awe. 

Poe shakes his head as he puts the keys in his pocket, “Nope. It’s too rocky. I tried once but once I got down there, it took me hours to climb back up here.

Finn can imagine Poe getting stuck on the beach and stifles a laugh. “So, I take it we’re staying up here.”

“And that’s why I borrowed Jess’ car,” Poe nimbly climbs onto the hood of Jess’ car and sits on the roof with his legs resting against the front window. He pulls him a little further back onto the roof so he can sit with his legs crossed. “Come up here! Don’t worry, it’s safe.”

Finn cautiously hoists himself onto the roof of the car and joins Poe. They both sit in silence for a moment, watching the sun gradually get closer to coloring the sky fiery orange. Sunset is approaching quickly. When Finn turns toward Poe to ask if he should start reading his poems, Poe snaps his fingers, as if he suddenly remembered something, “Before you start reading, let me grab something real quick.” 

Poe smoothly slides off the roof and Finn hears the trunk open and close. As quickly as he left, Poe returns with a picnic basket in his hand. He climbs back up to the spot where he was sitting before and places the basket in his lap. Finn watches as Poe takes out a bottle of sparkling apple cider and two plastic cups. “How in the world did you get apple cider?”

“I have a free sixth period so I drove to the grocery store and got us snacks and apple cider to go with the scenery,” Poe answers while he pours apple cider into two cups and hands one to Finn before capping the bottle and putting it into the basket. Poe takes a sip from his cup. “Start reading whenever you’re ready, buddy.” 

Finn places his cup next to him with care as he reaches into his back pocket and takes out the miniature notebook he writes all his poems in. He always has his poetry notebook with him so if he gets an idea, he can write it down before he can forget. “Just a warning: most of these will be sappy love poems.”

“Fine by me. Hopeless romantics always write the best poems,” Poe offers supportively. 

After flipping to a poem he recently wrote, Finn takes a deep breath and reads it aloud. 

“some people think ‘i could get lost in your eyes” is a romantic line

i disagree

your eyes are not unknown oceans or tangled forests

they are magnificent crystals

refracting rays of light that melt on my fingertips

warm, comforting, and soft

as if you finally wrapped your arms around me 

and told me you loved me

as much as a dying man loves his last breaths”

His words hang in the air for a moment and dissolve in the ocean breeze as quickly as they appeared. Finn glances bashfully over Poe, who looks stunned. “Every poem you write is a work of art. Whoever you write poems about is so lucky. Have you shown it to them yet?”

Finn blushes and shakes his head, “No. Well, technically yes, but he doesn’t know they’re about him.” 

“Why not?” Poe frowns, pouring himself another cup of apple cider. 

“My poems are all about love and the guy is in high school so he’d probably be freaked out by my intense confessions of love. After all, we’re in high school; how deep can young love get?” Finn answers as he holds out his cup of cider for Poe to refill.

Once Poe finishes pouring, he caps the bottle and replies, “Young love can be deep. I was in love and it wasn’t just a fleeting thing like you’d see with most high school romances.” 

“Really? Tell me about it,” Finn inquires curiously, starting at Poe’s wistful expression. Poe draws his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them protectively. He glances at the ocean, an unreadable emotion crossing his face.

“I dated a guy a year ago. We met ninth grade and I didn’t realize I was in love until a few months after we got to know each other. We started dating in tenth grade and at the beginning, it was wonderful. People thought it was weird that we were able to say ‘I love you’ to each other with such ease. He loved me for who I was and never let me give up on myself.”

Poe sighs deeply and Finn identifies the emotion in his eyes as regret and pain. 

“Then everything changed. I don’t know when but somewhere along the line he became a different person. I don’t know why he suddenly changed either. He just suddenly started blaming me for all his problems and he was so angry all the time. At one point, I eventually accepted that I couldn’t go on with loving him any longer. I realized that the boy I fell in love with was gone. I broke up with him and he was furious. He kept repeating that he loved me to get me to stay but I had to let him go.” 

Silence fills the space between them as Poe bites his bottom lip. Finn places a reassuring hand on Poe’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. It’s not his either. Sometimes, things just don’t work out.” Arranging a smile on his face, Poe requests, “Tell me about the person you wrote your poem about. It’ll ease the slightly depressing mood I set with my story.” 

“Don’t worry, you didn’t ruin the mood.” Finn pauses momentarily to down the rest of his apple cider. He places his empty cup on the roof of the car and straightens his back consciously. “I only recently started writing poetry about this guy because we’ve known each other for a month or two, I think. He’s such a sweetheart and he’s nice to everybody he meets. He has a great sense of humor, good looks, and passion. I’m pretty sure a flower blooms somewhere in the world when he smiles.” 

  
“Whoever this guy is, he’s lucky to have you. He’s clearly special to you and I have no doubts that he would be more than happy to be yours,” Poe offers supportively and Finn’s heart aches. 

Finn yearns to grab Poe by the shoulders and tell him _You’re special to me. You’re the one who I write poems about. You’re the one I’m madly in love with._ But he can’t. He’s too intimidated by fear to make a move, so clears his throat instead and shrugs it off. “I guess. I’ll think about talking to him.”

“Read me another poem?” Poe leans closer to Finn so their arms are gently brushing against each other. The sun is setting slowly and the sky transforms into a painting of bright, layered colors. The sun morphs with the background, burning brighter than the delicate light of all the stars combined. 

Time slips by Finn and Poe as Finn reads one poem after another. While Finn reads, Poe listens silently with a peaceful expression. At some point, Poe rests his head on Finn’s shoulder, as if he wanted to be a little closer to Finn’s heart to hear how his heart beats to the rhythm of the confessions of love hidden in his poetry.

By the time Finn has finished reading his last poem, the sun has completely disappeared and the familiar stars embed themselves in the night sky. Poe’s head is still on Finn’s shoulder and as Finn falls quiet after sharing the last words of the final poem, he can hear Poe’s soft breaths.

“You should be an author. I would love to be able to read your poems every day,” Poe murmurs, his voice cushioned with admiration.

“Maybe one day.” Finn closes his notebook. He wants to sit up straighter but he stays as still as a statue, not wanting Poe to lift his head off his shoulder. To both his dismay and luck, Poe lifts his head so he can stretch his arms. 

“Hey, do you want dinner?” Poe reaches for the basket he brought onto the roof of the car.

“Sure, where-?” Finn cuts his question short when he sees Poe produce two sandwiches from the basket.

“I’m always prepared.” Poe hands Finn a sandwich and unwraps his own before taking a bite.

“Is this sandwich a bagel? But also a sandwich?” Finn stares at the sandwich-bagel in his hands for a second in utter disbelief.

“Yeah, and what about it?” Poe challenges, raising an eyebrow with attitude. He maintains eye contact with Finn as he takes a giant bite out of his sandwich, causing Finn to laugh. 

“Poe Dameron, you are an enigma.” Finn shakes his head before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

Poe’s eyes shine with his signature devilish glint. “Why do you say that?”

“I never know what you have up your sleeve and you somehow manage to surprise and delight me every time. You’re a robotics nerd who’s in love with the stars but also a motorcycle-loving badass who knows the prettiest places in town that nobody else knows about. You make people laugh without any effort and charm people with a wink. You are unpredictable but in the best way possible. You are an enigma.”

When Finn concludes his speech and glances over at Poe, he sees tears welling up in Poe’s eyes. Poe swallows the last bite of his sandwich before replying, sounding slightly choked up. “That’s probably the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me. Thank you.” 

Finn opens his mouth to reply when a gust of wind blows by, causing him to shiver slightly. Frowning, Poe frets, “Are you cold? I forgot that it gets chilly here at night. Here. Put this on.”   
  


“No, it’s okay. I’m not that cold,” Finn assures Poe. Despite Finn’s objection, Poe shrugs off his leather jacket and drapes it on Finn’s back. Finn’s defensiveness dies as he wraps the jacket closer to his body, feeling much more comfortable than before. He thanks Poe and scoots a little closer to him, their shoulders touching once again. 

Poe takes out a bar of chocolate from the basket. He breaks it in half and Finn and Poe quietly sit together while munching on chocolate while watching the moon shimmer against the surface of dark waves. The ocean seems hopeful and innocent during the day but during the night, it morphs into a mysterious but powerful expanse of the unknown. It’s both intimidating and gorgeous.

Before they leave, Finn and Poe are gazing up at the stunning stars when a comet soars through the sky. Poe gasps and nudges Finn. “Look! Make a wish!” 

Closing his eyes, Finn brings up the first desire that comes to mind, which happens to relate to the person who’s sitting next to him. He wishes that Poe could feel the same way Finn feels about him. He wishes that one day, he will be able to hold Poe’s hand and kiss Poe like he’s been wanting to since the night when they danced under the same stars they’re currently sitting under.

When Finn opens his eyes, he sees Poe staring at him with stars reflected in his wide eyes. The energy has changed between them and Finn swears his heart is beating so loud that Poe could hear it. Poe parts his soft lips, as if he’s about to say something, but presses them together again as if he’s trying to prevent himself from spilling the words that are stacking up inside his chest like building blocks.

Finn is the first to break the veil of tender silence. “Did you make a wish?”

“Yeah, but I can’t tell you or else the wish won’t come true.” Poe’s words have their usual sprinkle of sarcasm but his tone is more delicate than Finn had ever heard it be. 

“Then I guess only the stars will know what you wished for.”

-

“Let me get this straight: Poe took you to a place with a beautiful view of the beach just to hear you read your poetry?” Rey’s voice is a mix of confusion and awe when she asks. Her voice echoes slightly past the rows of lockers lined along the hall but Finn doesn’t tell her to keep her voice down.

The halls of the school are empty because school has already ended, which means it’s the perfect time for Rey and Finn to put up campaign posters around the school. Finn helps Rey with her campaign when she runs for class president every year, and every year, Rey is elected. 

“Yeah. It was nice. He brought apple cider too! And we watched the sunset and had dinner and-“ Finn pauses when he sees Rey’s face. “What? Why are you making that face?”

“How in the world are you two not married? Finn, that was literally a date.” Rey shakes her head and holds up a poster against the wall. Breaking off two pieces of tape from the roll, Finn tapes the poster to the wall.

“It wasn’t a date. We didn’t do anything couples do,” Finn defends stiffly, even though he’s remembering how Poe rested his head on Finn’s shoulder. 

“Okay, there may not have been kissing or hand-holding but that’s still so romantic,” Rey drags out the o in “so” for emphasis. She and Finn walk down the hall and stop at another wall with space.

As Finn peels the tape from the tape roll at the same time that Rey holds up the poster, he protests, “It wasn't super romantic. I mean, the most romantic thing was probably him giving me his jacket because I was cold. He probably did it just because he’s a caring friend.”

Rey’s arms drop heavily to her sides like stones as her mouth drops open in astonishment, which honestly worries Finn because Rey only reacted this way if she had a major revelation or if she learned that her favorite singer announced a new album. “He gave you his jacket? His leather jacket? The one he wears every day?”

“Well, technically, Poe didn’t give it to me. He drove me home and forgot to ask for his jacket back so I just took it home. I forgot to bring it to school today but I’ll return it tomorrow. He didn’t seem super upset about it today so I think that’s a good sign.”

Rey groans loudly and presses her head against a locker with a rattle. “You. Two. Are. Ridiculous. Why don’t you two just admit you are both in love with each other, bang it out, and date?”

“Gross! Rey, please don’t phrase it like that. Plus, as I said earlier, it wasn’t a date and he probably doesn’t-“ Finn is cut off by another groan as Rey lifts her head off the locker and places her hand on her forehead as if she’s having a headache from listening to Finn try to convince both himself and Rey that there isn’t a chance that Poe could have the same feelings for him.

All of a sudden, Rey stops groaning and opens her eyes, the ends of her lips curling upward. She takes her hand off her forehead as she proposes, “Just curious, would you be able to come over to my place to bake cookies this Sunday afternoon? We should pass them out on Monday since the speech is on Tuesday and it’s the perfect time to do some extra campaigning.”

“Yeah, I think I’m free,” frowns Finn, who is baffled by the change of topic. “Why did you bring it up?”

“It got you to stop trying to convince yourself that Poe doesn’t love you, didn’t it? You need to stop doubting yourself. Now, let’s go. We have to finish putting up these posters.” Rey continues down the hall and Finn follows, rolling his eyes fondly. It’s impossible to hate Rey, even if she can be brutally honest at times. 

-

Finn takes back his earlier statement about it being possible to hate Rey despite her brutal honesty when he goes to her house on Sunday. When Finn shows up at Rey’s house and knocks on the door, he expects Rey to open the door. Instead, after Finn knocks, the door opens and the last person he expects to see is standing at the door. 

“Poe? What are you doing here? Where’s Rey?”

“Rey invited me over to bake cookies to hand out on Monday. She’s inside, getting all the ingredients out,” Poe pulls the door open wider, allowing Finn to step inside Rey’s house before Poe closes the door behind him. 

Right after Poe finished talking, Rey walks out of the kitchen. Her hair is tied up in a loose bun and when her eyes meet Finn’s, Finn recognizes the classic troublemaker Rey look. She knows exactly what she is doing. Even though Finn is slightly ticked off that Rey decided to spring this surprise on him (if Finn knew Poe was coming, he would have changed out his hoodie into something less informal), he also has to admit that Rey was clever for devising this plan. Rey feigns innocence as she greets Finn. “Hey Finn! Glad you could make it. Let’s go to the kitchen. I was just showing Poe around.” 

As Finn and Poe follow Rey to the kitchen side by side, Finn’s hand brushes the back of Poe’s hand. Finn can’t tell if Poe noticed because he didn’t react at all; on the other hand, Finn is blushing like a madman. 

“All the ingredients, instructions, and other things you need are here. The oven is already preheating and everything should run smoothly.” Rey clasps her hands together after explaining like there is no need to further elaborate.

“Wait, aren’t you going to help us out?” Finn frowns, perplexed by why Rey is instructing them as if she wouldn’t be present during the baking process.    
  


“Nope. I need to run an errand real quick,” says Rey as she brushes past Finn to get to the front door. As she slips into her sneakers, Rey continues, “I’ll be back soon. Thanks for helping!”

With that, she slams the door shut, leaving Finn and Poe alone. And it is at that moment that Finn decides to retract his statement about how hating Rey is impossible. He also realizes Rey stuck him in a situation that he always fantasized about, which is baking cookies with a cute boy, and resists the urge to groan out loud. 

“Well, let’s get started!” Poe eagerly grins and whatever resentment Finn is feeling disappears like mist evaporating in the sunlight. Initially, Finn thought that baking cookies with Poe would be awkward because of Finn’s lack of baking skills. But it turns out to be everything but that. 

The recipe required the cookie dough to be made from scratch, which meant Finn has to work, or more accurately, struggle, with dough. Poe, who seems to have more experience than Finn, has no trouble at all with making the cookie dough. When Poe sees Finn struggling, he lightheartedly laughs and shows hlFinn how to properly work the dough by standing behind him and placing hands on top of Finn’s to guide his movements. After a few minutes of Poe’s help, Finn can work the dough by himself and Poe praises him encouragingly.

Then, Poe opens a bag of chocolate chips they need to mix into the dough and grabs a handful. “Open your mouth. I’m going to try throwing these into your mouth.”

Finn opens his mouth and Poe tosses chocolate chips at his mouth. They get a good laugh out of how badly Poe misses the target during the first few failed attempts. On the fifth try, Poe finally threw a chocolate chip into Finn’s mouth and whoops victoriously. Finn cheers with him while the chocolate chip melts sweetly on his tongue. 

Moving on to shaping the cookies, Finn and Poe compete to see who can finish putting the cookie dough onto the trays first. Finn finishes first and places his trays of cookie dough into the oven quickly, sticking his tongue out childishly at Poe. Poe sticks his tongue out back at him and they both laugh at how competitive they are.

Once all the trays of cookie dough have been placed into the oven and the timer for ten minutes had been started, Finn and Poe begin cleaning up the kitchen. As Finn cleans all the measuring cups and Poe organizes the ingredients, Poe clears his throat, “Hey, by any chance, did you take my leather jacket with you from when we went to that beach?”

Caught off guard, Finn froze before he turns off the faucet and grabs a towel to dry the cups. He apologizes, “Yeah, I have it. Sorry about accidentally stealing it. I can give it back to you at school tomorrow.” 

“No, it’s okay. You can keep it. It looks good on you.” Poe finishes putting away the ingredients and combs a hand through his curly hair. Their eyes meet as Finn places the cup and towel in his hands down next to the sink. A look of mild surprise crosses Poe’s face as he walks over to Finn and caresses the side of his face with one hand. “There’s a spot of flour on your face. Hold still.” 

Finn stands as still as a tree as Poe gently wipes the smudge of flour off his cheek with his free hand. They maintain eye contact during this exchange and the tension is too much to bear. Their lips are only inches away; if Finn takes a step forward, their lips would meet and the temptation is overwhelming. 

Before he can lose his nerve, Finn takes a deep breath and speaks, “I don’t know if I’m reading too much into this but I-”

He stops talking when Poe kisses him. The feeling of Poe’s lips on Finn’s is equivalent to the feeling of pure euphoria. Poe’s lips are just as soft as Finn imagined them and he completely melts when Poe pulls him closer with a hand on his hip, deepening the kiss. Poe’s lips taste like chocolate, which makes the kiss only more addicting.

The backs of Finn’s legs hit the cabinets under the counter as Poe pushes Finn up against the counter, continuing to kiss him. At this point, it has turned into a make-out session and they both make no effort to stop it from happening. Finn’s fingers travel up the back of Poe’s neck and tangle themselves between Poe’s soft curls. 

The timer goes off, causing Poe to break the kiss. They’re both out of breath as if they had just run a mile, and their eyes are still locked on each other. The timer continues to insistently beep, similar to how a baby continues to irritate a parent until they are attended to, so Poe quickly opens the oven and grabs the cookie trays with an oven mitten. Finn watches as he places the trays of freshly baked cookies onto the counter to cool before closing the stove. 

As Poe takes off the oven mitten, he clears his throat. “So, uh, that happened. I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”

“Me too. And I’m glad it happened.” Finn can feel himself breaking into a giant smile. “Hey, uh, since the cookies need to cool, we can probably…” 

Poe raises an eyebrow suggestively and Finn sighs in mock exasperation at Poe’s lack of action before placing an arm around Poe’s waist and pulling him into another kiss. This time, no timer interrupted their blissful time together.

-

Weeks later, Finn and Poe are sitting together in the ice cream parlor where Jess asked Rey to homecoming. Poe brought BB-, who chirps gleefully as he rolls back and forth, fascinated by his surroundings. Poe is nestled next to Finn in the booth they’re sitting in and they both manage to eat their scoops of ice cream without their limbs awkwardly tangling together. 

“Rey won’t shut up about how her genius plan to get us together worked. She claims she’s completely responsible for our relationship, Finn comments, setting his cup that no longer has ice cream in it on the table. 

“It was a pretty good plan and we fell right into it. I’m glad we’re not hopelessly pining after each other again,” Poe chuckles, still working on finishing his cup of ice cream. “By the way, have you written more poetry recently?”

“Yep. Actually, I wrote a small one while we were eating ice cream. It’s called Rocky Road,” Finn says, closing his eyes as he tries to remember the lines he wrote earlier.

“how lucky am i

to be able to hold your hand

and taste the rocky road

on your lips?

angels would walk barefoot

in hell to hold your hand;

yet here i am,

with my arms wrapped around your body

and my heart placed in your hands.”

BB-8 beeps in a jovial tone that signals approval and Poe plants a kiss on Finn’s cheek, pulling him a little closer. Finn is about to ask if Poe liked it, but Poe, who has gotten to know Finn too well, already has an answer. 

“It’s perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come chat with me about finnpoe and star wars on twitter[@luckysam78](https://twitter.com/luckysam78)! or, if you want, head over to my [tumblr](https://luckysam78.tumblr.com/)!  
> to check out my works for other fandoms!


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